


Numbers Are The Death Of Some

by RainbowHoodGirl



Series: Jøsh Dear [1]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Fluff, Future, Immortal, Jenna is mentioned, M/M, Old Age, One Shot, True Love, Tumblr Prompt, Writing Prompt, immortal in a way, life energy leeching ability, street performer!josh, tyler is 200 years old, windower!tyler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 22:08:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8595682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowHoodGirl/pseuds/RainbowHoodGirl
Summary: By the ability to imperceptibly suck tiny amounts of life force off of anyone he touches, Tyler has been living for almost 200 years. Today he got caught for the first time - by someone he surprisingly couldn’t leech off of when he touched him.Numbers could mean an end to many things, but for that special someone of us, numbers hath no meaning.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this prompt on tumblr this morning and I immediately thought "this NEEDS to be a Joshler fic!"  
> Just to warn you, it's incredibly short because I wrote it in one sitting.

Tyler was getting old, but it never showed.

To others, he was just another 27-year-old living among the modern day society, the population growing rapidly in the world with every passing second.

Tyler didn't really mind though, even though he had outlived all of his family, friends, and occasionally lovers.

All of them had grown confused by his ageless appearance as they neared the end of their lives. And he could never give an explanation why because, well, it was like he was cheating death. It was his own decision to discreetly absorb any life energy he could out of a random person with a light touch unbeknownst to the victim, but he didn't want to stop.

He never wanted to stop.

He wanted to live forever.

He will live forever. Long enough to see the world on judgement day, then he would be back with everyone he knew in his lifetime.

But not yet. Not for a long time.

Tyler was now celebrating his 200th birthday, alone. Jenna had passed away 110 years ago at the incredible age of 90, and he could always tell from her eyes that she knew what his ability was. Though, she never mentioned it or spoke out against him to stop whenever he felt himself unwillingly take tiny amounts of life energy from her.

Never.

He missed her terribly.

Now, he was sitting by himself in the dark with flickering candles reading '200' on a single layer cake. The house was quiet, but his thoughts were loud. He knew he had been miserable and lonely for the longest time, but he was addicted to life and staying alive for so long.

"I wish I would stop." Tyler mumbled out his wish, blowing out the candles and watching the smoke disperse around the now moonlit living room. Looking around, he realized how depressed he must have been ever since Jenna died.

He couldn't stop living now though, he didn't want to die alone. If he would have stopped taking life energy out of people when he was the same age as Jenna, then he could have actually grown old with her and would have died of old age years ago. Or he could have taken his own life, but at the time he decided not to.

He slit a piece of cake instead and ate a few bites before he set it down and went to bed. It was so empty without another body, and he shivered.

▫  ▫  ▫

Slipping on his black hoodie and grey beanie, Tyler found himself walking to the city park once again. It was like his feeding ground, but these complete strangers wouldn't know he was pickpocketing them of life energy with every touch.

Each person he made contact with on the shoulder only shot him a disgusted look and pulled away after he got a brief surge that would make him last for another several months.

He was walking around the park square for hours like a total creep, touching people left and right as they passed, but he didn't mind. Tyler had no good friends anymore.

A street performer near the grass though had been eyeing him all morning, casting him weird glances occasionally from a distance. The man sat on the curb while he drummed away on his small set of drums, his dyed red hair bouncing with every movement. Tyler tried to pay no mind to him for as long as he could, both men collecting their own kind of profits from the many people walking by.

Tyler shoved his hands in his hoodie pouch when the area thinned out for a short while. Looking in the direction of the young drummer, he found that the man was staring back at him too. He had stopped drumming to take a breather, eyes penetrating into Tyler.

Tyler began to feel his stomach quiver, having an uneasy feeling pass through him as he locked eyes with the man and delivered a small grin and nod.

The drummer looked around to see if the gesture was meant for someone else, but smiled back and nodded too when he realized no one else was nearby. It made Tyler develop this familiar feeling he must have recognized from 173 years ago, from the first time he met Jenna. But he pushed it away, thinking he was just hungry since he hadn't eaten since last night.

Why, he asked himself, was his legs now leading him to walk over to the young guy behind the set of drums?

The drummer looked up with widened eyes when Tyler stopped in front of his set, now showing the teeth in his crinkly smile.

"Hi!" The drummer said warmly, playing with the drumsticks in his hand.

"Hello." Tyler kept his hands in his hoodie but his eyes did manage to look at him directly. He asked himself again why he found himself in front of this cute guy when he was still mourning the loss of Jenna. "How's business for you today?" Tyler asked casually, dropping a five dollar bill he found in his pants pocket into the drummer's empty soda cup on the ground. Only a few coins were in the cup beforehand.

The drummer smiled. "It's going great now, thank you." He went back to hitting his drums, as if a private show for Tyler as a thank you for the money.

Tyler sat on the ground a few feet from the drums and watched the man play for what felt like the longest time, intrigued by the rhythmic beats of each drum and the muscles of the drummer's arms. They stayed like this even when the crowds returned, Tyler missing the opportunities to leech off of the people just so he could listen to the guy play.

When the drummer finished, Tyler and the audience that had gradually gathered erupted in applauses. Some people actually dropped bills into the guy's now overflowing cup of money before they left to continue their day. Tyler stood up for himself and dropped another bill in, the guy gazing up at him with appreciation.

"That was awesome dude!" Tyler praised him.

"It helped that you sat there. It got the attention of the people passing by!" The drummer stood up from his seat and sighed, wiping his forehead with the hand holding the drumsticks and reaching out with the other hand. "I'm Josh Dun. I've been playing around here for months just to afford a packet of Ramen each night."

Tyler laughed and grasped the drummer's sweaty hand. "Tyler Joseph."

"Nice to meet you, Tyler."

Tyler didn't let go of the hand just yet. He was waiting for the life energy of Josh to transmit to his own body, goal being to get another year of life added to his youth. But to Tyler's shock, he wasn't feeling any force.

Josh had looked down at the hand that was now grabbing his hand tighter out of impulse, face blank. Tyler began to panic, fingers slightly trembling. _What was wrong with him?_

The drummer looked back up at him with a different kind of grin. Tyler reached behind himself blindly to touch a random person's shoulder with his free hand, relief passing through him when he felt the life force pulse through his fingertips. But still no energy was coming from Josh.

Tyler forced himself to let go of Josh's hand, trying to calm himself from his bewilderment, while Josh himself continued to stand in front of him confidently, unbothered by Tyler's reaction.

It totally bothered Tyler though. It was such a foreign feeling to him know when he couldn't feel the life energy of a person transmit to himself at any contact with a human body. This was the first time in his life his ability was useless towards another person, and it was very unsettling. Josh wasn't even curious of the way Tyler acted.

They remained in silence for a few moments before Josh finally spoke. "You want to get some lunch? You've been out here for a few hours like me without eating."

Tyler forced a smile. "Yeah. That'd be great."

▫  ▫  ▫

They both left Josh's drums on the sidewalk of the park and decided on In-N-Out to eat at, Josh pouring all the money from his cup and stuffing it in into his pockets.

After they placed their orders, they found two empty window seats and settled down quickly before someone else grabbed them. They laughed and Tyler felt the misery he had been feeling for years now slightly ebb away. He hoped this was just the start of a great friendship between them. Tyler really needed one, though he accidentally thought back to his cold and half-empty bed at home.

When they picked up their food and went back to their seats, Tyler looked at Josh while the other ate, watching his movements while he took a bite out of his burger then a sip from his drink.

Tyler touched Josh's shoulder.

Josh didn't react, just continuing to eat even when Tyler's fingers curled in desperate attempt to leech off of Josh. After several long seconds, Tyler finally gave up, releasing his grip and began eating his food.

"So, Tyler." Josh must have wanted to start up a conversation with the guy who had just awkwardly been grabbing onto his shoulder. "You just hang out in the park all day and greet strangers by touching them?"

Tyler shrugged. It wasn't the first time someone directly asked about his willingness to touch so many people with no clear purpose. "...Yeah. I like touching people." He hadn't meant for that to sound so incredibly creepy.

Josh just chuckled in response.

"What about you? Just drumming for noodle money each day?"

"That's the motivation." Josh confirmed.

Tyler decided that he really liked this drummer, and the way he smiled and looked like the type of person that was always satisfied with life. His gauge earrings, ruffled dyed top hair, and a full-scene of a tree tattooed on his skin made him like Josh even more. He was definitely an attractive person.

"Can I ask how old you are?" Josh's question startled Tyler, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I mean, you don't need to answer if you don't want to, I was just curious."

"I'm....ahh..." Tyler gulped. "I just t-turned 27 y-yesterday." He just lied to Josh and he immediately felt guilt wash over him.

Josh nodded. "I'm 28."

Tyler nodded too. Only 172 years older than the guy he liked so much already. The age gap was incredible terrifying.

▫  ▫  ▫

Weeks went by with a normal routine established between the two. Tyler would wake up out of his cold bed and rush to get two cups of coffee at Starbucks, then meet Josh at the same location in the park. The drummer would have his percussions already set up and give Tyler a big grin after his friend slung an arm over his shoulder in a welcoming hug. He assumed Josh thought he was just being friendly, but in reality, the main reason was that Tyler was still trying to leech off of him, continuing to question what was wrong with his abilities when he tried to make contact with the drummer. Despite that, they laughed more together each day and Tyler felt his misery slowly begin to ebb away. He hoped this was the start of a great relationship between them. 

Tyler couldn't have asked for a better friend.

He would still admire the guy drumming his heart out in front of him in the park. Tyler would graze his hands on passerby's shoulders in the crowds, but he kept his eyes locked on Josh. They spent their hours like this, Josh being the only one making money and buying the daily lunches that Tyler began to feel guilty.

"Where do you want to go today?" Josh was gathering up his possessions and collected the cash out of the cup around noon time.

"Actually.." Tyler started, shifting from foot to foot. "How about we go to my place? We can order pizza."

"Hang out at your house?" Josh's eyes lit up. "I thought you'd never ask!"

They somehow managed to defy the odds and stuffed Josh's drums into the backseat of his car on the drive home. Tyler's mind was whirling with excitement. This would be the first company he had in many years ever since the last person he knew from his youth had died.

It felt so strange to lead Josh in to his house, not sure of what else to do other than to immediately place the order for pizza that wouldn't be here for a while due to the extravagant things they wanted on it. He wanted to treat Josh in return for all the nice things he'd done for him already.

Tyler splayed out on the couch as he watched Josh look around at all the things that lined his walls and shelves of the living room like the place was a museum, actually looking fascinated. It didn't even occur to Tyler that the things that collected dust on his bookshelves were decades old, and photos of his family and friends radiated nostalgic feelings from the quality of cameras used at the time.

"Dude," Tyler saw that Josh had picked up his old iPhone 7 that was lying on the middle shelf. "Where on earth did you get a relic like this?"

Tyler's heart began to pound as Josh gently held the 172 year old piece of technology in his hands. He cleared his throat. "Online auction."

He wasn't lying though. At the time, he had gotten it online, but Josh was thinking it must have been an expensive auction for an ancient phone.

"2016, right?" Josh asked.

Tyler nodded. Josh knew the exact year it was manufactured. Before he could ask how he knew, the doorbell rang and Tyler raced for the door to pay for the food.

Josh had set down the phone and the two made themselves comfortable on the couch, grabbing big pieces of pizza while they watched tv.

"Better than ramen?" Tyler smiled after Josh finished up his fourth piece.

Josh nodded, swallowing. "Much better." He scooted a little closer to Tyler, his eyes now transfixed to the tv, and Tyler felt a desperate longing for genuine human contact. Not just light touches on people's shoulders, but contact shared between two people to heal the loneliness that had been eating away at his stomach in the years since his wife died. He also craved life energy from his friend, energy that would last him several years to come.

Josh might have read his mind, curiously gesturing to some of the hanging photos. "Who's the woman with you in some of the pictures?"

Obviously, Josh had not seen the wedding photo on the coffee table beside Tyler. "She was my wife." Tyler glanced at the photo.

Josh immediately turned to Tyler in shock, only now noticing the ring he wore on his left hand. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." His expression was sympathetic, maybe because he thought Tyler had become a widower at such a young age. After 110 years, Tyler still wasn't ready to take off the ring. But here he was now, feeling a tug in his heart toward the drummer sitting quietly beside him, unsure now of what to say.

"It's fine. I don't mind when people ask." However, no one had ever asked about her since he isolated himself for so long.

Josh remained silent, and Tyler felt his hand snapping up to latch securely onto the other's shoulder, throat tightening. Where the heck was Josh's life energy?

"Tyler stop it."

Tyler looked up at him, dazed from the harsh tone.

Josh's eyebrows were furrowed, not out of anger, but with a look of sincere empathy. "I know what you're doing so just stop it."

Words refused to come to Tyler's mouth; having a hard time processing that he had finally been discovered. He had finally been caught. After all these years, he found a person he couldn't leech off of, and stopped.

"What am I doing?"

"I know you're trying to leech off of me."

"How...." Tyler stopped himself and shook his head. "I'm sorry Josh."

Josh didn't respond, but his expression was warm with hints of developing happiness, strangely enough. The drummer had noticed tears begin to form in Tyler's eyes, and in the next moment he reached over to gently pull Tyler into a tight hug. He felt his heart might burst from happiness, or shatter from sadness with everything he was feeling right now. Josh was hugging him, and it was the best thing he had felt after so long. Misery had finally ebbed away and the desperate need to hold someone just for life energy faded away like water on hot concrete.

He relaxed, melting deeper into Josh's form as his heartbeat pounded out of his chest. Josh wasn't like the other people he met in his 200-year lifetime. Josh had his own ability that prevented Tyler from taking any of his energy, but his ability wasn't just that.

Josh pulled away from Tyler and looked at him with soft eyes. "Tyler. How old are you....really?"

Tyler shook his head, feeling more tears bead up in his eyes. "I turned 200 a few weeks ago." He choked out. "I can take tiny bits of anyone's life energy just so I can live longer. If you're creeped out Josh, you can leave. I'll completely understand."

Josh gazed at him, a wide smile rising on his lips. "I don't want to." He shifted so he could get a better hold on Tyler's waist as the other rested against him limply. "I finally found someone I can live a long lifetime with."

Tyler looked back at him and tried to process why his words sounded as if they meant more than the average person would interpret them as. And he suddenly knew why.

"How old are you Josh?"

"200 and a half."

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this one shot.
> 
> Year: 2188.


End file.
